KnownCarProblems2020 Kia Telluride Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 775 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Telluride, most often about the lights (24% of complaints, typically around 9,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Telluride model year since 2000 and has 7 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2020 Kia Telluride problems
Lights
185 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 9,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights.
The Telluride ex has an issue with it's headlights, especially in a dimly lit area. When the headlights are in normal mode (not high beam) on a street that does not have streetlights (no ambient lights) or you are going around a turn, or you are going slightly uphill, there is very little visibility on the road. You…
The headlights on this car are dangerous at night on streets with no lighting and especially dangerous when its raining. The lights do no illuminate speed limit signs, stop signs, caution signs, yield signs etc. They do not illuminate overhead interstate signs. I have taken the car to the dealer and they said the…
Engine
159 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the contact had driven over the tire tread from a tractor trailer. Due to the failure, several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was serviced…
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was…
Visibility and wipers
152 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles. Parts named most often: sun/moon roof assembly, windshield, defroster/defogger/hvac system, rearview mirrors/devices.
Small rock hit the windshield from a passing car on the highway caused a chip in the windshield, when safelite tried to repair it, it crack. Service tech said that it is highly unusual for this to happen on a small chip like this one.
The Kia Telluride windshields are not up to standards. They crack and chip extremely easily and constantly over the smallest debris or for no reason at all and driving at 40 MPH. This needs to be corrected.
Other or unspecified
146 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 4,000 miles.
I was backing out of my driveway on a low volume county road. I was moving backwards and entered the roadway. I was fully across one lane when a vehicle in the opposite lane approached. As I was continuing backwards cutting the wheel to maneuver into the nearside lane, the auto braking engaged and my vehicle was…
One month after purchase, my windshield crack for no apparent reason. I noticed a small linear crack along the center bottom of the windshield after it being parked in my driveway overnight. Within hours the crack spread along the entire glass. Kia repaired it under the good faith warranty but I had to wait 3-4 weeks…
Transmission
70 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 6,500 miles.
The vehical will not accelerate at freeway speeds and the engine RPM increases up to 6000 RPM with no or little acceleration when the gas peddle is depressed.. This also occurs at lower speeds, no or little acceleration while the engine RPM increases to 5000 RPM visible on the tachometer and heard from the engine…
Vibration being felt in the steering wheel, gas pedal and in seat from the power train from highway speeds raging from 60mph to 80mph with a with a humming noise being heard from the interior at the same speeds. It has been getting progressively worse. We bought the vehicle in june of 2019 and it now has about 13000…
Electrical
60 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 26,500 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 20v436000 (electrical system, forward collision avoidance, exterior lighting) and 22v626000 (trailer hitches) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had…
Blind spot collision warning system is malfunctions whenever it rains. Vehicle has 3000 miles on it and for the 5th time in 2 months the blind spot system alarm system goes off while driving in the rain. Dealerships refusing to look at the problem unless the engine light is on, which it turns off once the sensors dry…
Body and structure
56 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: body.
Brand new 2020 Kia Telluride purchased on 3/18/19. On 4/6/19 the front passenger door would not open at 1273 miles. Took it to Kia dealership garage on 4/8/19 and they could not fix it. I filed a formal complaint with corporate Kia on 4/9/19. No one is calling me back. I feel it is unsafe to drive a car with a door…
I got into my car after work yesterday and I had a crack in my windshield. The crack was not their that morning when I parked it. What is the deal with all these windshields cracking?
Suspension
33 complaints · 4%The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "electronic parking brake" warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the "parking brake connector" had fractured. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Kia Telluride recalls
Seats: power adjust
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed august 13, 2026. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc374. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 24v407. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning july 17, 2026.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper recall 24v407 repair, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
Seats: power adjust
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 30, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc316.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
Transmission: driveshaft
Risk: A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to manually engage the emergency parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will update the electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed may 15, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc303.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, which can result in vehicle roll away while in park.
Lights: headlights
Risk: Inoperable high beam headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the high beam headlights, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 9, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc299.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2020 telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.
Equipment: trailer hitches
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and a wiring harness extension. Dealers will also inspect and replace the tow hitch harness assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed april 12, 2023. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc247.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a genuine kia 4-pin tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (pcb) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Driver assistance: adaptive cruise control
Risk: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wire harness to the main fuse box to signal the trailer brake lights, free of charge. The recall began september 10, 2020. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc194.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2020 telluride vehicles equipped with smart cruise control (scc). When a trailer is connected to the vehicle, the trailer brake lights will not illuminate when the scc applies the brakes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: If a child seat is not properly secured, there is an increased risk of injury to the occupant in a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any incorrect seat belt assemblies. The repair will also include replacing the driver's seat belt which has a non-u.s. Specified label, with a u.s. Specification seat belt. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began august 30, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc181.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2020 telluride vehicles. The seat belt assemblies in the front passenger, second, and/or third row seats may not tightly secure a child restraint system in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 208, "occupant crash protection."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Complete loss of high beams
Summary
On january 27, 2023, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe23002 to investigate allegations of loss of high beams with no warning and no re-engagement resulting in reduced visibility at night in the 2020 kia telluride. The investigation revealed that the halogen bi-function projector beam, used in vehicles built between january 2019 and november of 2019, is composed of one halogen bulb light source that provides light for both low beam and high beam. The heat generated by the halogen bulb will inflict damage to the gear mechanism and as a result the shutterâs electric motor will no longer be able to move the shutter to the open position to reveal the high beams. A loss of high
Questions about the 2020 Kia Telluride
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Kia Telluride?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (185 complaints, typically around 9,000 miles); engine (159 complaints, typically around 77,500 miles); visibility and wipers (152 complaints, typically around 5,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Kia Telluride have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 2, 2026 (seats). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Kia Telluride?
- It is the most complained-about Telluride model year since 2000, with 775 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.